The Big Goodbye
by JusSonic
Summary: Property of Bourgeois Buffoon who is kind enough to let me post it . Aka's moving away. How will the others deal with it...especially Froggo? Hints of Froggo/Aka.


This is my second full-lentgh fanfic. I would appreciate comments by as many people as possible.  
  
It seems that (so far, at least) whatever fics we write about the H! crew after the show was cancelled, however the subtle the reference may be, they still has the whole crew together. So it was only inevitable that one should leave eventually...  
  
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is not modeled after a script-no "actor's" lines. This is more of a novel format. I also have this, naturally, as a serious story. I will try to inject some emotion as well...  
  
...  
  
Aka was finally glad to be out of that building!  
She knew school was good for her and all, but...  
"Why does it have to be so dang boring, Charity?"  
"Come on, Aka! You know it has to be like that so we can learn stuff!"  
"Well, the only thing I learn how to do there is invent new ways to sleep! Besides, history's the one thing we DON'T need ta know-why the teach give us these big assignments?"  
Both girls laughed-it was yet another beautiful day. Ever since the show was cancelled, they had to go back to a regular school...at least the show, for all its trouble, had private tutoring lessons that. But now, with school out, Aka could act like herself again...  
"Say, Charry, I have a joke. What happens when a Loudmouth meets a natural-born kisser?"  
Charity, blushing, said "...come on, Aka, you say this all the time now..."  
"Ya get a BIG smackaroo! Ha ha!"  
Aka loved teasing those two on the love life-it was really one of the few interesting spots in all their lives now.  
Soon, they got to Aka's house. It was a simple dwelling-Aka's parents said that was where the best families were made. Charity had to think that to be true, because it seemed the family was always bright and smiling when she came for a sleepover or visit.  
Aka's mother seemed to be waiting for them at the door, because she opened it for them. What made the girls wonder, though, was her nervous look-she was smiling as always, but her eyes looked worried.  
"Charity?" Mrs. Pella said. "Would you mind if Aka came in by herself? We need...a family meeting."  
"Okay." Charity said. She started to leave, but tried to glance inside to see if anything special was there. She saw nothing, and left for her own house.  
"Come, Aka..." Mrs. Pella said sadly.  
"Why? What's the big deal?"  
Both sat down. Mr. Pella was sitting already.  
He then spoke: "Aka, you know my job requires me to be shifted around a lot, which is why I have to leave home occasionally...well, they shifted me permanently."  
"Which means...?" Aka said cautiously.  
"We all are moving away. To St. Louis."  
"WHAT?!"  
  
Aka was nearly at the point of tears. "WHY? I thought everything was good!"  
Mr. Pella answered, "I thought so too...but the area my part of the company works in isn't doing good enough...it's being closed down, me and all the other employees are moving to other stations."  
"That's it?!"  
"That's business, honey."  
She couldn't take it anymore. At the fastest speed she could run at, she rushed out the door.  
"Honey-wait!" Mr. Pella said.  
"Let her go. She needs time to think it out with her friends," his wife said.  
  
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
Aka ran as fast as she could to Charity's house. She knocked on the door as loudly as she could.  
Charity, who had been watching TV, got up grouchily as she went to the door. Jeez! Who could be here right now? she thought. It had better be for a good reas-  
She gasped. Aka was crying! And, she noticed, very large tears.  
"Charry! I've gotta MOVE!"  
Putting her arm over Aka's shoulder, she replied "What do you mean? Are you moving away?"  
"YES!" Aka bawled through tears. "My Dad has to go to a new place to work andweallgottamovetoo! Bre..bwe...BWAAAHHH!"  
"Calm down..." Charity said quietly, though now she was starting to cry to. She was losing her best friend! Why?!  
"No! I'm gonna lose you and Loud and Froggo and Toast and everyone else!"  
"Well...we can visit..."  
"We're going to St. Louis! That's to expensive for all of you to visit regularly!"  
"We can think of something. The boys can go into baggage."  
Aka had to giggle despite the situation.  
"Charry, you'll always gonna make me laugh at times like this, huh?"  
"Sure! It's me who cries! I can't have competition!"  
...And both girls began to cheer up a bit, turning their attention elsewhere.  
  
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
"You bored yet, Pule?" Froggo said boredley. He, Loud, and Pule were lying on the grass, thinking of something to do.  
"No...how about you, Loud?"  
"NO WAY!"  
The other boys winced. "Well," Froggo said, "there go's the peace..."  
...But Aka and Charity came in, making that leave of peace decidely permanent.  
"Froggo! I have to move away!"  
"WHAT?! You can't do that! I need you! We all need you!"  
Aka hugged Froggo, tears falling freely from her face. "I gotta...cause of ma Dad. Gotta be 'transferred'."  
Froggo couldn't help but gulp. He had read how that company was doing awful lately...  
Loud shouted out "AKA! WE'LL GOING TO MISS YOU!"  
"I'll miss you too, Loud..."  
Froggo wouldn't have none of this! He said, "I have to think about this..."  
Loud, unusally brass, shouted, "COME BACK HERE! YOU GONNA DITCH AKA!?"  
"Naw...," Aka said. "Let him go. You think someone like him can take this?"  
"Sorry...I guess you're right."  
Pule looked down at the grass, muttering..."this sucks! I never got to tell you were one of my best friends!"  
Aka smiled. "You just did."  
Pule smiled. "Hey! I guess I did!"  
Aka started to leave..."...look, guys, I need to tell everyone else this. I feel a lot better now. Thank you."  
"See ya."  
"See ya."...forever, Aka thought.  
  
Meanwhile, Froggo was soon in his room. Aka was special to him...she always tried to smile whenever she spoke to him, seemed to be the only one who got some of his jokes...and she was always happy to help him...  
  
He picked up a picture of him, Aka, Loud, and Charity. It would only be him, Charity, and Loud soon.  
  
He sighed.  
  
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++   
  
"I'm going to bed, guys," Aka told her parents.  
"Okay, sweet dreams," her father said, looking up from the paper.  
As she got into her bed, Aka thought about the day...she managed to tell everyone the bad news. At least that was accomplished.  
  
She sighed a heavy sigh, and soon, went to sleep.  
  
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
Aka found herself in a barren desert.  
"Hello? Anyone here?" Yoo-hoo..." she called out. Where was she?  
Then she saw it.  
Froggo's cap lay a couple feet in front of her, sand shifting over it. She walked over and picked it up. Where was Froggo?  
  
Then the words spoke.  
  
The Big Goodbye...  
The Big Goodbye...  
The Big Goodbye...  
  
...Aka awoke in a flash. She looked at her clock, it said 3:45 A.M. Jeez, she thought it's late. And I don't like the sound of those words.  
One Week Later...  
  
...  
  
..."See you, Aka." World's Oldest Woman said.  
"Thanks, Oldy!" Aka shot back. She may have been leaving, but she didn't want it to be a goodbye full of tears.  
"Remind me to think up a comeback for that." WOW said grouchily to Father Time.  
"Now, Chit, I know we didn't hang out much, but I think we were still buddies, right?" Aka then said to Chit.  
Chit answered, "Of course! You know, with our feisty attitudes, I'm surprised we weren't paired up together!" He thought for a moment, then said, "Perhaps my sales would have been higher if I had a kid to charm customers..."  
Aka stiffled a laugh. "Ah, I doubt that." She turned to Charity. "Charry...I'll say it one last time. What happens when a Loudmouth meets a natural born kisser?"  
Charity still couldn't believe she would still say it..."What, Aka?"  
"A BIG smackeroo! Ha ha!" She went to Froggo. "Froggy...I could count on ya when I needed a friend."  
She then hugged Froggo...somedays it seemed, Aka thought, that he would always be the guy you could count on...  
Charity stared at the two hugging one another. It was an awfully long hug....  
"You ready, Aka?" Mrs. Pella said. The car the Pellas were leaving in was jammed-packed full of suitcases and supplies. "We gotta go."  
"Okay..."Aka said sadly-the first sad thing she had said all day.  
  
She got into the car and soon, it drove off. She looked out the backseat toward her friends as they went.  
Miss Info, after Aka was gone, finally broke the uneasy silence.  
"I guess she's really gone, isn't she?"  
  
...And the Pellas were soon deep into the country.  
"Sigh..." Aka went. She missed everyone already. She began to think of the show...and all the fun times that had went with it. She even remembered her joy at getting a solo on the pepper song...she smiled as she began to drift into a nap.  
  
This time, she saw not just Froggo's cap but Froggo himself in the desert.  
"Froggy!" she exclaimed. She started to run over to him, but he turned around and began to walk away...  
...and finally caught up with him. But then he shattered like glass as soon as she touched him...except for his hat. And then the WORDS came back...  
  
...The Big Goodbye...  
  
Aka once again woke up quickly. Froggo! That was all she could think. Why did he shatter? Why did the hat remain?  
  
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
..."And here we are!" Mr. Pella exclaimed. They stopped by the their new home...  
...probably the biggest house Aka saw! It was three stories high, and looked very...  
"Dad, this is re-deec-u-lous!" Aka said. "This ain't anything like our old home!"   
"Well, the company is still doing well enough to give me this for all my hard work for them. Well, they paid half and I paid half. Just because we don't do well one place doesn't mean we can't do well overall, right?"  
"Oh," Aka could only say.  
  
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
But now that everything was FINALLY unpacked and a few adjustments were made, Aka had a more pressing problem than homesickness.  
She was bored.  
Aka was just loafing around on the steps, wondering whether to stay here or explore the town, when-  
"Oh my gosh! It's you!" a voice, a female one, squealed.  
"Who da heck...?" Aka could only mutter.  
Then a black girl about Aka's age came up. "You're Aka Pella! I watch your show everyday! I can't believe I'm meeting one of you!"  
"Uh...thanks." Aka said. "What's your name?"  
"Della! Della Stanton! What are YOU of all folks doing here?"  
"Oh...my dad was transferred here from his old job."  
"Oh," Della said, a little sadly. "Um...did you know I watch your show everyday? I made tapes out of all of them! And when I heard your show was cancelled, I wrote a letter of complaint!"  
"Thanks..." Aka said, a bit dryly, then perked up. "It's nice ta see there ARE good people on Earth!"   
Della laughed. "Well...I'll show you 'round town. Couldja tell me what it was like on the show in the meantime?"  
"Sure!"  
Aka couldn't help but feel a little happiness. It wasn't going to be so bad in St. Louie after all!  
...  
  
"Come ON, Aka, I wanna show you my friends. We can talk about the rest of the cast later"  
"Oh...gotcha."  
Aka had started to blab endlessly when Della had asked what the rest of the cast was like-she realized she still missed them allot...  
Soon they got to another large house, presumably Della's, Aka thought. They went upstairs and Aka saw two more girls-one blonde-haired, the other brunette.  
"Guys," Della said, the excitement dripping from her voice, "this is Aka Pella from Histeria! You know! The show I always watch!"  
The other two got up and said hello...and began to ask Aka the same questions Della had asked.  
"What was it like being a star?"  
"Are you good at history, or is that just some irony?"  
"Anything you like when it comes to TV?"  
Aka was shocked! "Ah...uh..."  
Della then said in a commanding voice, "Come on, guys! You haven't even said your names yet."  
"Ooh..." the brunette said. "I'm Leslie."  
"Carolyn's my name!" the blonde one said brightly.  
"Nice ta meet you two," Aka replied back.  
Della, meanwhile, was fishing something out of the closet in the room as her friends spoke. She then got out the items she was looking for-four microphones.  
"Aka, I know you like to sing...and we three had our own singing group. Would you...like to join us?"  
Aka winced...the rest of the Chorus went through her mind..."Sure!" she shot out happily.  
"Great! Can we sing the 'People Want Pepper on Their Food song? The rest of us can take turns on the other solos!"  
Aka felt her stomach turn..."Cool!" she held the mike to her lips and started to sing...  
"The history of spice is the history of everything nice..."  
...And she saw her Loud, Charity, and Froggo when she turned to her fellow singers. But then she blinked, and she then her three new friends.  
  
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
...And life went on!  
Aka found that though she still thought of them, her friends back at Burbank were entering her mind less...  
...but that wasn't surprising, wasn't it? It must be th same back there, Aka thought to herself. She had written a lot of letters to Charity to tell what was up at St. Louis and ask what was going on back home, but she had no more time to write, she found, because of how she was busy with her new singing group and all her new friends...and the school down here was actually pretty tough. She still had to concentrate on assignments, of course. Well, except for  
"...another history report that got an A" Della said sarcastically while looking at her own C-. "Do you plan to woo the teacher anymore?" Della said, then laughed. She couldn't help it.  
"Oh, when you get to be on a history show, you'll understand," Aka giggled. "You know, it's pretty dull around here. And we be in the big city! I wish something big were happen."  
  
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
"GUYS! GUYS!" Froggo shouted, as he ran over to the usual hanging spot at the park his friends were in. This time, Toast, Pepper, Kip, and Pule were there as well as Loud and Charity.  
"What is it, Froggius Maximus?" Toast said. He thought that would a pretty good nickname to have.  
"I'm...," he let everyone get in closer... "...GOING TO VISIT AKA!"  
Everyone else started talking excitedly. They would finally know what Aka was up to! Charity's letters, after all, had stopped being written back to months ago...  
"AHA-AHHA! I WONDER IF SHE KNOWS!" Pepper screamed happily. "Does she?"  
Froggo said, "Her parents do, I do, but Aka does not. It's a surprise! I can't wait to have things be like old times for a bit..."  
...  
  
"Wow!" Froggo could only say meekly as he saw Aka's house. The taxi stopped a little later, Froggo and his mother went out. Finally the big moment came...  
KNOCKKNOCKKNOCK! Froggo's mother banged the doorknocker. Froggo gulped as the door opened...  
"Hello!" Mrs. Pella answered brightly, opening the door. Froggo felt much more relieved. "Nice to see you again...Aka's upstairs in her room, third door to the right," she said when she saw Froggo.  
  
And Froggo soon got up to the room. He knocked on the door slightly...  
"Hold on a sec! Geez, a girl can't get anymore peace...,"she opened the door...  
"FROGGO!" she gasped audibly, and then laughed. This was a surprise! "Whaddya doing here?"  
"It's a surprise visit?" Froggo answered.  
"Well how about that...," Aka then said, and TSK'd rather loud. "Come on in!"  
  
Aka was the first to ask questions as the two sat on her bed: "What's new back home?"  
Froggo couldn't help but notice she said home: "Oh, nothing much...how about here?"  
"I get to be in a new singing group!" she squealed excitedly. "It's great! I can even show you a song we wrote..."  
"Ah...okay."  
After looking at the rather original lyrics (you need me, but I only just WANT you?) on the page she handed him, Froggo then asked a question he knew everyone back at Burbank was waiting for. "Why did you stop writing letters?"  
Aka had been unprepared for that. "Ah...um...well, I have a busy life, Froggy! This school here is TOUGH!"  
Froggo decided he needed to press the topic a little further. "Yeah, we all are busy too...but we still find time to write."  
"You guys stopped writing too!"  
"Only when we realized you weren't going to write back."  
Aka was feeling particularly angry all of a sudden. "Well excuse ME, Mr. I-need-my-precious-letters! I'll write again soon!"  
"Well, they say in a situation like this," Froggo seemed to be talking to himself, "the less letters you get, the happier you are in a new place..."  
"Hey! I miss you all!"  
"I'm sure you do. But how much?"  
Aka couldn't help it. "Not that much anymore, cuz I remember how annoying you are!"  
Now it was Froggo's turn to be angry. "Oh? Yeah, writing simplistic song lyrics does make one forget about important things!"  
Aka got nose to nose with Froggo. "Yeah, and to me YOU...ARE...NOT... IMPORTANT ANYMORE! GET OUT!"  
"FINE!" and Froggo left, slamming the door behind him.  
Aka knew it would be trouble to try to chase after him...if her mother found out about this, she'd be dead meat.  
  
Froggo spent the rest of the day wandering around the Pella's new yard...but he realized that he had been amazingly narrow-minded in that argument. Of course she was busy! This was a city! And Froggo remembered that he and the rest of the Chorus always needed plenty of time for songs...and knowing his luck, the schools here probably WERE tough. She always told the truth... he wanted to apologize to Aka, but he was afraid she wouldn't speak to him...  
  
...Aka was crying on her bed, face down in pillow. How could she act like a jerk to her friends! And to Froggy of all people! She knew it took only a bit of time to write a letter...but she had forgotten about the rest of the gang eventually while living in St. Louis. And Froggo would probably not want to speak to him...Aka still couldn't help but a smile a bit when she remembered how he would be stubborn enough to hold out for a VERY long time in an argument...but she then quickly frowned when she remembered one tiny detail: She was in an argument with him that would need time to heal. And he was leaving VERY soon.  
She just buried her head into her pillow again.  
  
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
"See you again soon, hopefully!" Mrs. Pella said cheerfully to the departing Froggo and his mother.  
"Yes...it was fun! And I think our children had a good time too...right, Froggo?"  
"...Yes." Froggo could only mumble.  
"We have to go now, Froggo," his mother replied. The taxi she had called for was here. "I hope you had a good time...it could be a while before we can come back."  
"I know," Froggo could only mumble again.  
  
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
Once again Aka had fallen asleep.  
And she soon found herself in a desert once more.   
But she also saw Froggo again; and he was much farther from her. He spoke.  
"Well Aka," he said sadly, "I guess this is the big goodbye."  
"Froggy-wait!" she started to run up to him, but as soon as she got a hold of him after finally catching up, he turned to glass.  
Except for his hat. Aka picked it up; it was shifting in the sand.  
Then IT spoke.  
  
The Big Goodbye...  
The Big Goodbye...  
The Big Goodbye....  
  
...Aka awoke.  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA......!"  
...  
  
"Have you noticed how sad Aka is lately?" Mr. Pella asked his wife; he had noticed Aka just shifting listlessly from room to room.  
"Yeah...ever since her friend visited her," she replied, "How are things at work?"  
"Ugh...all the new co-workers are absolute jerks. Must be a city thing."  
"Hmm...I'm sorry to hear that."  
Mr. Pella just nodded and went to sit down. If only he could go back to Burbank...it was infinitely less complex there. Besides, it was employee expenses and not awful sales that caused the downsizing...they needed less people at the former Burbank station, Mr. Pella realized.  
Besides, Aka would be a lot more happier back at Burbank...only her new friends seemed to cheer her up here.  
If only we could go back...Mr. Pella thought. They just needed less employees there and it would be profitable. Suddenly...he knew the solution to his and Aka's problems.  
"THAT'S IT!"  
  
  
One day later...  
  
  
Aka was with Della again.  
"Why so glum, chum?" Della smiled at her rhyme.  
"Well, Froggo visited me last week..."  
"...And I was not informed a second person of Histeria was not here?"  
"We got into a big argument and aren't speaking to each other."  
"Oh." She shifted her weight to a more comfy position on the bed. "Why don't you write him?"  
"That was what the whole fraggin argument was ABOUT!" Aka snapped.  
Della pulled back: Aka never went into outbursts. "So...write to him and apologize."  
"No...he'll probably think I'm mocking him..."  
  
..."And so I propose that five other employees and I go back and reestablish business in Burbank," Mr. Pella was talking to the executives sent to listen to his proposal. "It was, after all, not sales but expenses that brought us down...and that is why with a minimum number of workers, profits there, if we go back, will shoot up tremendously...."  
  
...Aka was crying in Della's arms. "I mean, he's ma buddy and I go and snap right at him! He's the most sensitive guy you ever meet and I go SNAP at him! W-why did I do that?..."  
  
"...It will be difficult, yes...but it is nothing a few select employees and I cannot handle. I thank you for your time." Mr. Pella picked up his briefcase and left the room.  
  
..."And you know what was most scary about that dream?" Aka said to Della slowly. "He shattered like a broken window and all that was left was his hat. And then a voice kept saying 'The Big Goodbye'.  
Della did NOT like the coincidence facing her. "I'm sure something good will happen..."  
"But that's too big a coincidence!" Aka put her face into her hands. "Della?" Aka said from under her hands.  
"Yeah?"  
"Can I be alone?"  
"Gotcha. See you." She went out of the house a couple seconds later...she knew Aka was in for a rough ride, and she wished there was something she could do for her. Still, she knew eventually SOMETHING good would happen to Aka-it always happened to hard-luck ridden people in stories, so it could perfectly well happen to Aka, right?  
  
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
Three hours later...  
  
  
Aka came downstairs. Heck, she thought, I'd like ta see Charry get into a blue funk like this one.  
She bumped into something. Her Dad.  
"Sorry, Dad."  
"Young lady," Mr. Pella said sternly, "Make sure you are ready to leave here by the end of the week."  
"What da heck you talk-"  
He smiled. "We're leaving back for Burbank."  
  
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
One week later...  
  
  
"You bored yet, Pule?" Froggo asked boredly. He, Loud, and Pule were lying on the grass.  
"No...are you, Loud?"  
"NOT AT ALL!"  
"Well, there goes the peace." Froggo said. Then two figures came, making that leave of peace decidedly permanent.  
"Yoo-hoo...boys..." a familiar voice cooed.  
All three guys sat up fast. "AKA!" They saw their old friend coming with Charity.  
Froggo rushed over to Aka. "Aka, I'm sorry I yelled at you and was such a jerk! I'm-"  
"Hold it there, Froggy. I'm sorry too. Let's not go there."  
"Okay."  
Pule was the first to ask: "Why didja come back, Aka?"  
"Ah...my daddy got himself and just five or six other guys to start over again here," she added, "we almost didn't make it."  
Charity answered, "Well, the important thing is that you did."  
"Yeah..." Aka said.  
"WELL, WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT LETTERS ANYMORE!" Loud shouted out.  
Something clicked in Aka's mind. "Um...yep! Com'om, I haven't told anyone else but you guys! Let's go go GO-O! Yeah!"  
  
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
Aka quickly rushed home after telling everyone was back. She didn't want to make the same mistake twice.  
  
Dear Della,  
  
It's me, Aka I wanna tell you it's great to be back home. Try to visit, y'all hear?  
Best wishes to our band, I know it will be cool without me. Everyone of the cast says hi.  
Please write back-I don't want to have a big repeat of me and Froggo if I can't stay in touch with you.  
  
Love,   
Aka Pella.  
  
...  
THE END  
  
Copyrighted by Bourgeois Buffoon 


End file.
